


New Rivals

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, KakaGai Week 2019, M/M, eternal rivals, it's complicated - Freeform, there are Eternal Rivals and there are Eternal Rivals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21926770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Kakashi has long been conditioned to respond to that particular joyous bellow -Eternal Rival!- but that . . . is not Gai's voice. Pup, would you care to explain?
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 26
Kudos: 441
Collections: Dog Sensei & Sparklepuppy, KakaGai Week 2019 entries, Kalira's KakaGai Week Stories (2019)





	New Rivals

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [KakaGai Week](https://kkgweek.tumblr.com/post/185755931741), Day 2: Rivals

“Like this, Kakashi-sensei?”

Kakashi looked up, cocking his head. Sakura held up the sword she was crafting a new handle for, the wood sandwiched onto the thin protrusion of dull metal at the back end but only held on with a temporary wrapping. It still showed the seals she had painstakingly carved into the steel, though they would be hidden when she was done.

Kakashi held out a hand, and Sakura put the sword into it easily. Kakashi hefted it. “Well done.” he told her, testing the balance. It would be badly off for _him_ , but Sakura had shorter reach and was much smaller all over.

Sakura grinned happily, and Kakashi smiled at her, passing the sword back.

“Seal it up properly, then wrap it.” Kakashi instructed, and lifted his tanto, sighting along the blade. It was slightly out of line, after he’d spent the time working to restore the edge and smooth the nicks out of it. More work would smooth that out as well.

Sakura hummed softly to herself as she worked, which Kakashi had come to find distractedly soothing, once he had gotten used to it. She knew she did it well enough _not_ to in the field, and Kakashi had left off breaking her of the habit entirely as long as that was the case.

“Eternal Rival!”

Kakashi tensed reflexively, and then-

That was _not_ Gai’s voice. Kakashi looked around, surprised and wary.

“Hello, Lee-kun!” Sakura greeted brightly, and Kakashi stared at her, a sinking suspicion settling in his stomach. “How has your training gone today?”

Kakashi eyed Lee as he ran towards them, beaming, and then returned his gaze to his pup. Sakura smiled at him, all but fluttering her lashes, and he glared.

“Most exhilarating, my Rival!” Lee declared, though he was certainly showing no sign of having been hard at work today. Gai’s training did encourage stamina. Or exhaustion to the point of collapse.

“ _Rival?_ ” Kakashi repeated. “Eternal Rival, pup?”

Sakura giggled and returned her attention to the sword she was working on. “Why not, Kakashi-sensei?”

“My precious student and yours discovering the brilliant destiny of Rivalship, Kakashi! Is it not wondrous?” Gai cried in Kakashi’s ear, making it ring, and flung an arm around him. Kakashi had seen him coming and did _not_ reflexively stab his lover with the hakkou chakra tou in his hand.

“What are you working on?” Lee asked, settling on his knees by Sakura’s side, his hands politely clasped behind himself, and Kakashi listened with pride as Sakura explained in concise, confident tones even as she continued to work on her sword.

“Doesn’t it bring back memories, Rival?” Gai asked, leaning against Kakashi’s shoulder.

Kakashi scowled at him, and was met with a beaming grin. He sighed. “They are _not_ us, Gai.” he said, voice low. Then he turned to look at their students once more. “Where are your other ducklings?” he asked absently.

“Neji is practising his kaiten, which is an excellent opportunity for Tenten to work on her targeting with as many scrolls as she can manage at once.” Gai said, fingers straying down Kakashi’s side. He suppressed a shiver. “It does, however, make sharing a training ground with them rather . . . hazardous. I supervised for a time this morning and have been checking on them. They should be finishing soon, so as not to exhaust Neji too badly.”

Kakashi nodded, running his thumb along his tanto’s blade. It was smooth as silk, and . . . he held it up, eyeing it again. It was also even once more. Now to put an edge back on it.

“You are _distracting_ my apprentice.” Kakashi said, glaring at Lee.

“Oh! My deepest apologies, oh Deadliest Blossom!” Lee said to Sakura, bowing as he scrambled to his feet, making it look rather more graceful than he had any right to do.

Sakura glared at Kakashi. “Kakashi-sensei! I am _not_ distracted! I can focus!” She scowled at him, tone sharp with offense.

“Were you coming to use this training ground for something?” Kakashi asked, ignoring her protest.

“Yes! Gai-sensei! Please?” Lee clasped his hands before himself, looking hopefully at Gai.

Gai laughed, sending a deep thrum through Kakashi from where they were pressed together, and he sighed. “Certainly, my precious student!” Gai boomed, squeezing Kakashi close and then releasing him and rising. “Let us get to it!”

The pair of them retreated across the training ground, and Kakashi worked at the edge of his tanto for a few minutes, aware of Sakura still glaring at him as she worked. She was not humming any longer.

“Sen-”

“ _Eternal Rivals_ , pup?” Kakashi asked, frowning and meeting her gaze. Sakura startled, blinking.

“Kakashi-sensei, I-”

“Are you sure about this? _Are you sure?_ ” Kakashi continued, gesturing with the whetstone. “There won’t be any putting him off now that you’ve decided to allow this.”

“I _like_ Lee-kun,” Sakura said, huffing, “and . . . training with him has been good for me. Challenging myself against him can only be more so.” she said, nodding, sounding very sure. “You say the same thing about your challenges with Gai-sensei, and you know it. Whatever you pretend about suffering through them.”

Bratling of a pup. Bratty little _all-too-perceptive_ pup. Kakashi sighed. “And yet, are you sure about this decision? I eventually stopped arguing with Gai that I was not his Eternal Rival, years ago,” he said tiredly, “and now we’re _married_.”

Sakura made a choking sound, and Kakashi huffed. “Ka- Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura giggled, then reached up to cover her mouth with the back of one wrist, “Kakashi-sensei, I think that may be a _you_ thing,” she pointed with the small blade she was using to work on the handle of her sword, “not an Eternal Rivals thing.”

Kakashi snorted. Sakura pointed more emphatically, narrowing her eyes. “ _And_ you’re happy with him, sensei!”

“Oh?” Kakashi drawled.

“I _know_ you! You’re _happy_.” Sakura said firmly, then sniffed, a smile tugging at her lips. “I don’t want Lee like that,” she pinked a little, shaking her head, “but it’s not the worst thing that could happen for us, either, to be like you and Gai-sensei.”

Kakashi stared at her, then looked away, clearing his throat.

By the time he had collected himself, Sakura was humming again, working on interweaving the wrappings for her sword around its handle.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hello or chat fandom with me on [Tumblr](http://kalira9.tumblr.com/) or [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.social/Kalira)!


End file.
